holidays

Replanning Our Disney Holiday

Disney Diary, TRAVEL

If you are new around here you may not be aware that our Walt Disney World Holiday was cancelled due to the current circumstances. We completely agree that safety is of prime importance but I am also looking forward to replanning our Disney holiday and being there in the next year or so, whenever we are able and it is safe to do so.

Our previously planned trip included:

• Disney tickets for 14 days

• Staying off site near Universal

We were just about to book Universal Tickets before everything closed and were unsure of what may or may not be cancelled for a while.

Since Walt Disney World stated its temporary closure and then our holiday provider cancelled our holiday altogether we have been adding, changing and researching what we can’t miss and what we would love to experience on our future Florida holiday.

We have changed our plans slightly for when we rebook and this now includes staying on site in a Disney hotel. My main decision sway-ers on this were,

• Disney Magic even when you go to bed

• Extra Magic Hours

• Booking reservations and FastPass sooner

• Transport will be easier to get into the parks

• Dining plan availability

With all this in mind we decided that the price difference would be worth the extras that are available through staying on site.

I have located a few prices with different companies but due to our previous holiday provider we are unable to rebook just yet. This gives me plenty of time to find the best price offering the best package.

Once we have the holiday booked we shall keep you updated as to finalising plans and making restaurant reservations along with what FastPass is the most popular and what snacks we need to be sampling.

I am very much looking forward to the whole process and this time (without any disasters please) enjoying our Walt Disney World holiday.

Are you planning a Disney holiday?

I’m here in the comments or over on Instagram @lorenjessica_

Reviewing my hydrating travel essentials and a few things I learnt about skincare

My Travel Beauty Essentials and a Few Life Lessons

Beauty, LIFESTYLE

This post contains affiliate links.

To put this post across properly I am going to have to relive two of my top painful holiday beauty moments. And I mean painful. That is why I have some strong do’s and dont’s for myself now I am old (and hopefully wiser) for when I think skincare either abroad or even on a UK staycation. 

Let us first go through the things that I simply have to pack when I am away. I have a dehydrated skin type and this can get worse or improve depending on the environment. 

Warm weather = drinking more water/juice = hydrated. 

Cold weather = more hot tea and coffee = dehydrating.

No matter where I go or what the weather though I always take a face moisturiser. If we are travelling somewhere cold or taking a UK trip I may pack more. Although it does lean towards the pricey side for a product the Elemis S.O.S Cream is my all time favourite. Years ago when I first started using it, it was in my mums collection and we had been told to use it as a spot cream. It was only when I read the product after I had made a purchase myself a few years after that I found out its intended use was for hydration purposes. Classic lesson learnt there – always read the instructions. Whilst I am waiting to repurchase the S.O.S Cream I am using these mini’s that were given to me by a friend. I didn’t really understand the purposes of a mist before but for that little hydration through the day I am now loving it.

Elemis Mini Travel Size Products

For my face, moisturiser is always closely followed by a high SPF and since last year I have loved The Body Shop® Skin Defence SPF 50+PA++++ which has pretty much only recently come back in stock. On a shopping trip before last I did have to purchase The Body Shop® Vitamin C with SPF 30 PA++++ which is a great product and I would repurchase as it gives me that glow I am always after but I am glad that the original has returned as it has the higher SPF.

The Body Shop Skin Defence SPF and Vitamin C SPF

Now are we ready for an uneducated/unthinking mistake? I once went on holiday with my best friend. For some reason we hadn’t a moisturiser between the two of us and my skin was definitely drying from too much sun that week. What I had thought to bring with me though was The Sanctuary Body Lotion, so in my naive way, thought that would do the same job. I took a 50p size blob onto my hand and promptly slapped it on my cheeks to soothe my dry skin. IT HURT. Oh Wow it hurt. I washed it off almost immediately but even still had to sit with a cool damp flannel covering my whole face for what must have been hours in the afternoon. What did I learn from that experience? Body lotion is nothing at all the same as face moisturiser.

M & S Ragdale Hall Lavender Hand Cream

The last thing on my list has to be something to help me sleep at night and I am obsessed with anything that smells like lavender. Last Christmas I was gifted a Marks and Spencers Ragdale Hall Gift Set which included the Sleep Lavender Hand Cream. Not only does it have a great scent but it also moisturisers my dry hands as I get some rest. As my years increase (hello almost 30 here) I understand more and more the importance of staying hydrated, both inside and out. When my hands are suffering from dryness it can literally look like my hands are 30 years older than the rest of me. It’s uncomfortable and slightly embarrassing and why I appreciate a good, moisturising hand cream.

What are your beauty skincare essentials?

Planning Our Next Trip – To Where?

TRAVEL, UK Places

I’ll start this post by saying our ‘next trip’ would have been Walt Disney World Florida and I have written plenty about that here. It is unfortunate that we can’t go as planned but we aren’t the only ones and it is for the best at this time. That does not stop us from planning our future Disney trip and plenty of others that we would love to do too.

For the last two years we have enjoyed a Winter holiday with our friends and their adorable cockapoo, Ares. At first we spent our time in Yurts in the Lake District with the second in a hotel in the Cotswolds. These breaks (as they would with dogs) are largely spent on walks or in dog friendly pubs. As the world might be back travelling come Autumn/Winter a dog friendly break will be more than welcome. I would love to see Scotland or even get on the channel tunnel and head to France depending on when and cost.

If we are not able to safely travel until next year then we will definitely be thinking about rebooking our Florida holiday. This will depend on Disney’s most popular times, (we wouldn’t want to pick a highly popular date) holidays available at work and how much flights and hotels will be in the new year.

Travelling in Derbyshire

I already know my husband really wants to get back to the Lake District. He’s a walking kinda guy and misses the great outdoors after a while. Before we drop a lot of money on a bigger holiday we may have to plan a weekend break up in the Lakes to involve plenty of walks, fresh air and good food. 

This also goes for the Peak District. We are lucky enough to live within a couple of hours drive of the Peak District so this will be a day trip for us, most likely on the motorbike as it will need a run after being stood for so long. 

That is it for now. From the above we have possible trip ideas for a day, a weekend, a week and a fortnight. When all this is over we will hopefully be healthy and in a position to travel again to one (or all) of the options above.

Do you have any travel wish lists?

What I’ve Learnt From Walking Holidays

TRAVEL, UK Places

Pack that backpack. Humans and dogs alike need supplies over the course of the day, especially on walking holidays. If it is warm or a cool day we end up carrying drinks such as a flask of tea, a cold drink and water for Mia. This can get very heavy so I tend to carry mine while my other half carries his and Mia’s.

Invest in some good shoes. We have a pair of walking boots each (well my husband has a few) and plenty of thick walking socks. On one of our Snowdon walks we saw people heading up and down in trainers or sandals and I would not trust my ankles on terrain like that in any weather.

Planning for the weather. We are in the UK after all. Sometimes if we feel like the weather may take a turn whilst on our walk we’ll pack our rain coats, if it’s going to be worse we’re packing our waterproof trousers. There has been a few occasions we have had to walk in damp trousers and it isn’t comfortable.

Lake Windermere, Lake District Dog Walks

Plan the route. And try not to get lost. There are plenty of times we have managed to find ourselves ‘off the beaten track’. My favourite (so far at least) was the time my husband convinced me that going up a bank was a shortcut. It was very steep uphill, he and Mia had gone ahead and as I scrambled to the top I found myself face to face with a cow. It was a terrifying moment and it took me a minute to realise that the cow was on the other side of a short wall.

Aira Force National Trust Lake District Troutbeck Dog Walks
Aira Force National Trust Lake District Dog Walks

Planning the route doesn’t just mean we won’t get lost. It also means that you know what to expect. On our holiday with friends in The Cotswolds we ventured off on a walk and found the route to be a dead end. We were lucky that we could take a detour, walk back for a few hundred metres and change direction (and that we are pretty relaxed with minimal expectations) but if not it would have been a very short walk for two very energetic dogs.

Take a look around. There is a lot to be seen when out and about and a main point of a walking holiday is to see the sights. Stopping to get the flask out and tuck into that packed lunch is one of my favourite things to do.

Have you been on any walking holidays or dog friendly stays?

Bakewell, Derbyshire

My 2020 Travel Plans

TRAVEL

This year I have been very excited about planning holidays, getting destination inspiration and making packing lists for trips that are months away. You may have read my previous post on how travel plans can give me the fear most of the time but I am really trying to take those nerves and turn it excitement. I heard once that these feelings give the same reaction in the body and you can decide which to feel. Whether it is true or not I’m running with that.

So let’s begin…

Soon I’m going to Birmingham. The city is calling me and I love heading to Brindley Place for a nice lunch, going shopping in the Bullring and maybe even a little visit to the Disney section in Primark to get ready for our big holiday this year.

Birmingham, Brindley Place, Travel Plans

Next on the list is somewhere we have been before, read more here, but Camber Sands is a lovely beach, quiet early on in the year and the nearby town of Rye, featured quite heavily on Instagram lately is a lovely place to visit. A beautiful historic town with cobbled streets and picturesque cafes is exactly what I’ll be looking forward to in the next few months.

Chocolate Labrador, Beach Trip

Our big holiday this year is to go to Florida. This was my Christmas present from my husband and it is one of my dreams to spend two weeks in the Disney parks, Universal Studios and enjoying that Florida sunshine. We will be doing lots of saving up and I can’t stop talking about it to my friends and family and watching all the tip videos on YouTube.

I think then we’ll take quite a break from travelling. Summer should be good in the UK if it’s anything like it was last year and we can enjoy our garden with bbqs with friends and family and I am determined to do a car boot this year. If the weather is good too we shall also be doing a lot of dog walks. Our favourite places to go are in the Peak District or up in the Lake District so we might fit in a night away somewhere, maybe even go camping.

Millers Dale, Chee Dale, Monsal Trail, Derbyshire

Our last plan is to go to the Canary Islands on a family holiday later in the year. We’ve been somewhere with my parents for the last two years so we shan’t stop now.

That’s all for the moment. I’m looking forward to each trip and using that excitement rather than the nerves that usually rear their heads. We’ve got something to save and work hard for this year and I’m using each one for drive. We are also super lucky to have all these plans and have family that won’t get sick of us for a whole week!

Have you got any travel plans this year?

Until next time,

L x